Rufous

{
  "post": {
    "title": "Publishing to Steam from Russia?",
    "selftext": "Hi, I wanna know if there is any developer here who is from Russia/Belarus and knows how to publish games on Steam, considering all the sanctions and banking limitations. How do I do that? What do I need? Is it even possible to be paid by Steam? Would I absolutely require a third party-workaround? If you are getting paid, how reliable is it?",
    "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/IndieDev/comments/18t2ojn/publishing_to_steam_from_russia/"
  },
  "comments": [
    {
      "body": "If you're serious about publishing your game and want to make money off it, and don't have anyone you trust who can do it for you from abroad, then think about moving to another country. Like Kazakhstan. At this point anyone who's staying in Russia is stuck doing business in Russia only. Well, maybe China, but I doubt you'd want to deal with Chinese publishers.\n\nBtw, I'm also Russian and live in Russia, but I have my work and family here, so I'm reluctant to move. However, in your case you should think about it. These whole situation could last for decades. We might become completely isolated at some point."
    },
    {
      "body": "If my understanding is correct, none of the Russian banks can accept USD transfers now -- and, as far as I know, Steam pays in USD only.\n\nOne way to solve this would be via opening a business in Georgia or Armenia. From what I hear, opening and maintaining a small business in Georgia is pretty easy, and you will be able to accept USD. Transferring the money to Russia is another story, but that is up to you to solve. EDIT: Be advised though: owning or operating a foreign company is punishable by hefty fines if the company is not registered with the tax department -- see the \"КИК law\".\n\nAnother way is to work via a human proxy. If you have a *trusted* friend in another country who emigrated before the war, they can open a business, register it with Steam, and pay you via USDT or some other crypto (though you'll have to check if crypto operations are legal in your friend's country). In this scheme, you won't have any legal control over your share in the business, so trust is paramount."
    },
    {
      "body": "I'm not sure why you're being downvoted, it's a reasonable question and it's not like you work for the government or whatever. You're an indie game developer, not a company. You could try r/AskARussian to get answers from people living there. \n\nYou might be better off publishing things to itch for now if you just want to get your games out there. I like some Russian language comic books but it's really difficult to read them in the US for obvious reasons. Hope you still work on your games regardless"
    },
    {
      "body": "You may need a third party. Assuming any such 3rd party can work around those sanctions and is even willing to work with pariah nations of the world.\n\nFar as payments go, no idea. Doesn't seem like Muscovy will turn into a functional member of the world anytime soon, so chances are you're stuck with crypto for the time being.",
      "replies": [
        {
          "body": "Does Steam pay to crypto wallets?",
          "replies": [
            {
              "body": "Of course not. They pay currencies accepted by law abiding countries (where tax tends to be taken).\n\nI guess that rules out Russia too."
            },
            {
              "body": "I doubt that lol"
            },
            {
              "body": "Steam? No. But it doesn't matter, since you won't be able to do business with Steam anyway, as they are an American company. But a publisher, or whatever 3rd party you may find might have to.",
              "replies": [
                {
                  "body": "No respectful company would deal with a russian company.",
                  "replies": [
                    {
                      "body": "True, some shady companies might be willing to, though"
                    }
                  ]
                }
              ]
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}